Proverbs 15
30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)
Probably one of the hardest lessons we must learn is to respect the advice of our elders. There is not a teenager alive who wants to be told what to do by adults. And can I let you in on a little secret? We adults don’t like being told what to do very much either! We don’t want to listen to those who advise us to wait to get married when that is all we can think about. We don’t want to hear that our high school and college years are the best, most carefree years of our lives. We don’t want to be told, as senior citizens, that it’s time for us to hang up our car keys or move into a retirement home. We don’t like hearing that we need to walk for our health or leave off the fast food and ice cream with our dinner! We don’t want the “come to Jesus” lecture, as one of my friends calls it!
Quite often, we know what to do, but we just don’t want to hear it from someone else! We want so badly for it to be 100% our idea, as if nobody else has ever had a good one! But this passage points out that refusing instruction shows a hatred of your own soul! If you really love yourself, you will want to get all of the wisdom and understanding you can… especially from Godly sources like Christian friends and family members!
Surround yourself with Godly people, and the next time one of them tries to give you advice, consider this… the message may not be one you want to hear, but can you afford to risk not listening? Think of their advice as a gift from God, and ask Him to show you how to use it.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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